NCJ Number
99881
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 49 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1985) Pages: 50-55
Date Published
1985
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This description of Oregon's Cornerstone Program, a prerelease treatment program for chemically dependent recidivists, also reports on client outcome studies.
Abstract
The Cornerstone Program is a 32-bed residential program that lasts 6 to 12 months, followed by 6 months of outpatient treatment. Clients are screened to include only offenders with chronic alcohol or drug abuse histories. The major treatment approaches are a therapeutic community, treatment contracts, intensive counseling, life-skills training, and community followup treatment. Program outcomes were assessed in the areas of client self-esteem, psychiatric symptomatology, learning, and recidivism. The Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale was administered 2 to 3 weeks after admission and again 2 to 3 weeks before discharge (about 8 months later) to all clients who entered the program during late 1983 and early 1984. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale measured psychiatric symptoms, and a 78-item test determined information learned in alcohol and drug education, coping skills training, job interviewing skills, cooking, and nutrition education modules. Pretests and posttests were administered. The recidivism study measured criminal offenses and parole revocations 3 years after program completion for those graduating from the program in 1976-79. Clients showed enhanced self-esteem, reduced psychiatric symptomatology, increased knowledge in critical treatment areas, reduced criminal activity, and reduced parole revocations. Five data tables and 16 references are provided.